NFL Week 3 Picks: Saints and Home Teams Guaranteed to Win

Home-field advantage will play a major role in many of the contests in Week 3. Each team strives to obtain this advantage on its way to the postseason—and for good reason.

Last week was an illustration of the serious advantage NFL teams have when playing in front of their home crowds. The home teams compiled a dominant record of 12-4. That's a bit of an extreme example (Week 1 saw home teams go 9-7), but the point stands: Home crowds give homes teams an edge.

Plenty of quality games are on the schedule for this week, but here are three games with predictable outcomes—not only because of the matchups themselves but also because of the way home-field advantage will influence the contests.

NFL Week 3 Predictions

Away Team

Home Team

Prediction

Kansas City Chiefs

Philadelphia Eagles

Chiefs

San Diego Chargers

Tennessee Titans

Chargers

Cleveland Browns

Minnesota Vikings

Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

New England Patriots

Patriots

Houston Texans

Baltimore Ravens

Texans

St. Louis Rams

Dallas Cowboys

Rams

Arizona Cardinals

New Orleans Saints

Saints

Detroit Lions

Washington Redskins

Redskins

Green Bay Packers

Cincinnati Bengals

Packers

New York Giants

Carolina Panthers

Giants

Atlanta Falcons

Miami Dolphins

Dolphins

Indianapolis Colts

San Francisco 49ers

49ers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks

Buffalo Bills

New York Jets

Bills

Chicago Bears

Pittsburgh Steelers

Bears

Oakland Raiders

Denver Broncos

Broncos

NFL.com

Seattle Seahawks Abuse Jaguars

This is going to get ugly.

The Jacksonville Jaguars travel to CenturyLink field as 19.5 underdogs in the betting world—and for good reason.

Which team wins?

Jaguars Seahawks Submit Votevote to see results

Which team wins?

Jaguars

12.5%

Seahawks

87.5%

Total votes: 120

The Jaguars have mustered just 11 points in two games, and quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne have been entirely ineffective. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew has only gained 72 yards on the ground.

Jacksonville is tasked with taking on a Seattle team that has allowed 10 points through two games and is coming off a rout of San Francisco—a team fresh off a Super Bowl appearance. To make matters worse, Russell Wilson and Co. have not lost at home since December—of 2011.

Seattle is a Super Bowl contender ready to compete for a title, and Jacksonville is on the opposite end of the spectrum as a team in the first stages of a serious rebuild.

Prediction: Seahawks 30, Jaguars 17

New England Patriots Take Advantage of Reeling Buccaneers

The New England Patriots have struggled in consecutive weeks against AFC East opponents. The team hardly escaped Buffalo in Week 1 with a 23-21 victory and then struggled to defend Gillette Stadium against the New York Jets, winning late 13-10.

But none of that compares to what Tampa Bay is going through.

Which team wins?

Buccaneers Patriots Submit Votevote to see results

Which team wins?

Buccaneers

22.4%

Patriots

77.6%

Total votes: 85

The Buccaneers lost to the Jets in a Week 1 upset thanks to a boneheaded personal foul penalty late in the game. Keeping with that trend, Tampa Bay was penalized 10 times for 118 yards against New Orleans in a 16-14 loss, and safety Dashon Goldson was initially smacked with a suspension for consecutive illegal hits, but won his appeal and will only be hit with a fine per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Tampa Bay is in a tailspin, and the last thing the Buccaneers need is a trip to New England.

Prediction: Patriots 28, Buccaneers 14

New Orleans Saints Put Down Cardinals

The New Orleans Saints are a consistently tough out at home—just ask the Atlanta Falcons, a team that lost its first game of the season in large part because of the amplified noise in the dome.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the cards are stacked against them. Arizona has won just three road games since 2011.

Granted, with new head coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer, this is a much different Cardinals team. But the new-look Cardinals didn't exactly exorcise demons in their Week 1 road loss to St. Louis.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sport

Which team wins?

Cardinals SaintsSubmit Votevote to see results

Which team wins?

Cardinals

14.4%

Saints

85.6%

Total votes: 90

Between the home-field advantage, the return of head coach Sean Payton and the team's 2-0 start this season, the Saints won't have an issue defending their home turf.

New Orleans went undefeated in 2011 at home before the scandal-laden campaign that was last season. Things are back to normal for the Saints, which is a serious issue for a dreadful road franchise like Arizona, regardless of its changes.

Prediction: Saints 35, Cardinals 28

Follow B/R's Chris Roling on Twitter for more news and analysis @Chris_Roling.